Whenever someone tells me to stop stressing because it's bad for me, I'm always surprised at just how easy it is for them to tell me to stop stressing.

But, why is that so hard to accept? Just, stop stressing...right?

It wasn't until recently that I began to understand why stress it such a difficult habit to break, and how much it really affects the work place.

Knowing how stress affects our daily activities is a good place to start to understand how to change those patterns of stress.

The first people to recognize your stress are usually the people who spend the most time with you during the day. This often means that your coworkers get to bear the brunt of your stresses.

How often does your attitude turn a bit sour when you're feeling overwhelmed at work? This shows in the way you vent to your coworkers, and in the way you respond to challenges at work.

These responses can be overwhelming and frustrating, both for you and for the people around you. Over time, this can begin to create a toxic work environment if the issue is not addressed.

Rather than bringing your problems to work for your coworkers, try being proactive by carving out time on your days off to spend some quality time with friends and family.

This can help by not only keeping your mind off of frustrations, but also by providing some listening ears so you're not overwhelmed on days when you return to work.

When you are stressed, how does this affect your ability to focus on the job at hand? How often does your mind wander off? Are you focused on the here-and-now, or on the unresolved issues that take you away from current responsibilities?

If your mind is constantly wandering due to stress, it is no wonder that you may begin to make mistakes in your work. It is also no surprise that these mistakes can cause - you guessed it - more stress.

Being preoccupied with these stresses often causes us to procrastinate because we're so frustrated and overwhelmed with our current workload.

Rather than putting off tasks completely, it helps to work at it a little at a time. Set a schedule for yourself if you have to. Work for an hour or two at a time and take small breaks in between.

Keeping a schedule may also help to reduce your levels of stress so you do not become physically worn out due to feeling overwhelmed.

Getting sick means mean taking more days off away from you job, and more work left for your coworkers if they have to pick up the slack.

Take care of yourself by making sure you get the sleep you need at night, and by taking advantage of any support you have around you.

If that support system is something you currently lack, there are many great resources to be found on the internet. Subscribe to some blogs that are relevant to your needs, or search for opportunities in your area to get connected to others with similar interests.

Even spending your time volunteering somewhere can help keep your mind off your stresses and onto more positive thinking.

Stress can be incredibly discouraging, but it can also be a positive thing to understand just how greatly stress can affect your ability to work.

Seeing the consequences of stress should cause us to seriously consider how to reduce that stress so that our work place can remain a positive, productive environment.

To learn about ways in which to create a healthy, stress-free work environment, check out this past blog post from our website. And if you're looking to work for a company that strives to create a stress-free environment for its employees, you can check out the job opportunities for Envoy, here.